The present invention relates generally to adhesive articles including a base member and a stretch release adhesive tape strip for removably bonding the base member to a surface and, more particularly, to such an adhesive article wherein the base member includes a stabilizer which restricts relative movement between the base member and adhesive strip.
Adhesive tapes which can be cleanly removed from a surface by stretching the tape are known in the prior art. The Kreckel et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,581, for example, discloses a removable adhesive tape strip including a highly extensible and substantially inelastic backing and a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive. When applied to a support surface, the adhesive tape strip becomes firmly bonded thereto, but can be easily removed without damaging the support surface by simply stretching the tape.
Stretch release adhesive tape strips have been used in a wide variety of applications including removably mounting an object, such as a hook or hanger, on a wall. Conventional techniques for mounting a hook on a wall include driving a fastener, such as a nail or screw, into the wall, therefore creating a hole or otherwise damaging the wall. Stretch release adhesives tapes, in contrast, allow an item to be mounted on and removed from a wall without damaging the wall. Stretch release adhesive tape strips offer the additional advantage of working on a wide variety of wall surfaces including sheet rock, tile, and concrete, which are not well suited for conventional mounting techniques.
The Hamerski et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,464 discloses an article support including a base member, a double-sided stretch release adhesive tape strip adhered to the base member, and a mechanism for gripping the stretch release adhesive tape strip. The base member and adhesive tape strip are arranged so that when the base member is adhered to a support surface by the tape, the base member can be released by pulling on the gripping means. The Lxc3xchmann U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,189 discloses a double-sided, re-detachable, self-adhesive hook including a strip of adhesive film which re-separably bonds the hook to a support surface. The adhesive power of the film largely disappears on extension of the film which is accomplished by pulling on the adhesive film. While such articles generally function satisfactorily, removal of double-sided adhesive tape strip articles can present certain difficulties. For example, in situations where a double-sided stretch release adhesive tape strip is used to adhere an object, such as a plastic hook, to a wall, the release of the adhesive tape strip from both the object and the wall at the same time may cause the adhesive tape strip to snap-back in the direction of the stretching, in a manner similar to the snapping effect of a stretched rubber band, or may cause the object to be catapulted, particularly if the object is not held in place during removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,630, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an adhesive article including a base member and a stretch release adhesive tape strip which can be removed from a support surface without snap-back or catapulting. The adhesive article includes abutment means adapted to engage the support surface when the article is pressed against the support surface during the removal process. By pressing the article against the support surface, the article is held in place as the adhesive strip is stretched and catapulting is therefore avoided. If the article, however, is not held securely against the support surface, catapulting may occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,471, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an improvement to double-sided stretchable adhesive tape strips which minimizes the aforementioned problems of snap-back and catapulting by controlling the timing of the debonding from both the object and the support surface so that one adhesive surface releases before the other. More particularly, the adhesive tape strip includes a lower adhesion portion on one surface and a greater adhesion portion on the surface opposite the lower adhesion portion, whereby during removal, the greater adhesion portion remains more aggressively adhered to either the support surface or the object, and the lower adhesion portion completely releases from its associated surface. The lower adhesion portion may be, for example, a release strip which completely debonds from its adhered surface prior to the complete debonding of the other side. Although sequentially controlling the release of the adhesive surfaces minimizes the problems of snap-back and catapulting, it does not entirely eliminate these problems. For example, if the adhesive bond between the adhesive tape strip and the support surface is inadequate, the adhesive tape strip will not release from the object before releasing from the support surface. Such an inadequate bond could result, for example, if the support surface is not clean, if the installer does not press the object against the support surface with enough force, or if the support surface does not have compatible properties. Under such circumstances, the object may catapult during the removal process.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an adhesive article which further minimizes the problems of snap-back and catapulting. More specifically, it would be desirable to provide an adhesive article using a sequential release adhesive strip which can be removed from a support surface without snap-back and catapulting and which does not require the article to be pressed firmly against the support surface during the removal process.
The present invention provides an adhesive article which is adapted to be mounted on a support surface, such as a wall. The article includes a base member and a stretch release adhesive tape strip arranged between the base member and the support surface. The stretch release adhesive tape strip includes a backing layer having opposite top and bottom surfaces and first and second ends. The bottom surface is provided with adhesive extending from the first end to the second end. The top surface includes a release area adjacent the first end and a second portion which extends from the release area to the second end. The release area has a low level of adhesive strength relative to the second portion and is preferably adhesive free. Thus, under normal circumstances, as the adhesive strip is stretched during the removal process and progressively debonds from the base member and the support surface, the base member will release from the adhesive strip when the debonding point reaches the release zone, and will therefore release from the adhesive strip before the adhesive strip releases from the support surface.
The base member includes a generally planar bottom surface which is adhered to the top surface of the adhesive strip, and may further include a hook or hanger portion opposite the planar bottom surface. In accordance with a characterizing feature of the invention, the base member includes a stabilizer which prevents relative movement between the adhesive strip and the base member and therefore increases the likelihood of successful sequential release. The stabilizer extends from the bottom surface of the base member adjacent the adhesive strip release zone so that it will abut the adhesive strip if the base member shifts relative to the adhesive strip during the removal process. By preventing relative movement between the adhesive strip and the base member, the stabilizer helps ensure that the base member will release from the adhesive strip before the adhesive strip releases from the support surface, and in this way helps prevent the base member from catapulting.
In one embodiment, the stabilizer is a rigid hook or projection which extends from the bottom surface of the base member adjacent the end of the adhesive strip. To allow the adhesive strip to be pressed firmly against the support surface, the projection extends a distance which is less than the thickness of the adhesive strip.
In another embodiment, the stabilizer is a flexible or compressible stop member arranged on the bottom of the base member adjacent the end of the adhesive strip. The stabilizer can be a folded piece of synthetic plastic material which forms a V-shaped configuration. One leg of the V is connected with the base member and the second leg extends in the direction of the adhesive strip so that it will engage the adhesive strip if the base member begins to move relative to the adhesive strip during the removal process. Alternatively, the stabilizer can be formed of a compressible polymeric foam which extends from the bottom of the base member adjacent the end of the adhesive strip. The surface of the foam stabilizer adjacent the support surface can include a repositionable or low strength adhesive which serves to temporarily bond the base member to the support surface following the stretch removal of the adhesive strip from the base member and support surface, and therefore allows the base member to be easily and predictably removed from the support surface.